PRIMALUNA EVO 100 TUBE DAC CLAIMS WORLD’S FIRST

The American company has incorporated a low-noise mini-triode vacuum tube into the digital clock. The upshot of this pairing is "vastly superior resolution, detail retrieval, improved clarity, increased definition and detail from top to bottom," says PrimaLuna.

As PrimaLuna custom-winds its own massive toroidal power transformers, there is little hum and EMI. Furthermore, thanks to the dramatically named 'AC Offset Killer' the transformer noise is even lower -  regardless of how poor your electricity supply is. What you are left with is a sense of space and texture.

The dual mono topology features a vacuum tube rectified power supply incorporating eleven separate power supply regulation circuits. Tube rectification is synonymous with an organic sound.

Rather than simply adding a standard USB input as a tickbox exercise, PrimaLuna's USB input converts the jitter-filled USB digital signal to S/PDIF. The company says that this dramatically improves the digital signal quality before it gets to the SuperTubeClock.

The SuperTube Clock replaces the solid-state oscillator generally found in a DAC with a mini triode vacuum tube. By using a tube, the amount of jitter and noise is lowered, resulting in superior detail retrieval. The valve in question is a long-life Russian military Triode specifically designed for oscillation purposes. It is running very conservatively, so life expectancy is roughly 5 to 10 years of operating time. The small glass envelope guarantees very low microphonics.

As with all PrimaLuna devices, you get top quality components. The premium parts include polypropylene coupling caps, triple pi power supply filters, as well as custom designed isolation transformers which separate the analogue and digital devices — the design results in decreased signal degradation and improved sonics.  Finally, the entire signal path, including resistors and capacitors, is painstakingly hand wired with heavy-gauge cable by craftsman.

The EVO 100 Tube DAC is no lightweight either, tipping the scales at 28.7 lbs.

The PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC is available now for £2,888.